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“My name is Francis MacNamaraA native of Cashel in the County TipperarySworn tyranny’s foeAnd while I’ve life, I’ll crow!”

Known to his fellow prisoners and his many admirers as Frank the Poet, he was an Irishman with a provocative wit and a stubborn inclination to refuse penal servitude. ‘Convicted by the laws of England’s hostile crown’, he arrived in Australia in 1832 and spent fifteen years under the lash in Sydney, Newcastle, and Van Diemen’s Land. Throughout the ordeal his defiance found a ready outlet in the many songs and poems he composed.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of his birth and the 150th of his death late in August 1861. Miguel’s performance will give a detailed account of Frank’s life and will include his known works - many of which have been set to music. The result is a moving, rebellious and often humorous testament to a man whose skill with words made him an articulate champion of the wretched, and an important figure in Australian convict history.

I am a native of the land of ErinAnd banished now from my native shoreI left behind my aged parentsAnd the girl I adore...